One of the Weather World’s Biggest Buzzwords Expands Its Reach

For people on the West Coast, atmospheric rivers, a weather phenomenon that can bring heavy rain or snow from San Diego to Vancouver, are as common a feature of winter as Nor’easters are in Boston.Like those East Coast storms, “atmospheric river” can feel like a buzzword — more attention grabbing than just “heavy rain,” even if that is how most people walking down the streets of San Francisco will experience it.…